SEVIS:

What is SEVIS?

In operation since January 30 2003, SEVIS,
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, is an internet-based system maintained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. SEVIS allows the U.S. government to have "real-time" access to information about the address, academic, and biographical information about F-1/J-1/M-1 students, and F-2/J-2 family members.

The information contained in SEVIS is shared by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (which is responsible for processing applications for immigration benefits such as employment authorization or change/extension of status) as well as U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide (which are responsible for determining issuing F/J/M visas to qualified students, scholars, and their family members). The overall purpose of SEVIS is to allow schools and the U.S. government to track the arrival, enrollment, academic activity, and departure of international students, scholars, and their dependents.

All students their dependent family members who will or intend to be in the U.S. after August 1, 2003 need to be registered in SEVIS and have SEVIS-generated documents to be eligible to enter and remain in the U.S.

What information is contained in SEVIS?

Schools are required to report biographical information (such as name, date of birth, country of birth, country of citizenship); address information (including overseas permanent and U.S. local addresses); academic information (program and major, program start and end dates, level of study); and financial information (funding requirements and sources of funding). In addition, schools are required to report certain events, including:

Failure to arrive or check-in as expected

Failure to enroll

Failure to obtain permission for part-time enrollment

Withdrawal or termination from program and reason for termination

Change of address

Change of other relevant information such as name, completion date, school, or site of activity

Early graduation

Recommendations for employment authorization or reinstatement

Failure to maintain non-immigrant status for any reason

How do I register in SEVIS?

New F students who intend to arrive in the U.S. to begin studies on or after August 1, 2003 will be registered in SEVIS when they receive their I-20s or DS-2019s.

Continuing students and exchange visitors should have been entered into SEVIS and received an updated SEVIS I-20 by August 1, 2003.

More information about SEVIS can be found on the ICE website listed above. You can also receive more information by calling ISS at (402) 457-2281.